We will investigate the familial and non-familial support networks of older Americans, with a substantive emphasis on elderly blacks. Available literature in this area indicates a paucity of studies on this topic and significant deficits in our knowledge concerning the nature and functioning of kin and non-kin support transactions. The analysis plan is composed of three major components: (1) familial support relationships with an emphasis on itergenerational support exchanges, (2) familial vs. non-familial sources of support, and (3) reciprocal and non-reciprocal support patterns. Consisent across all three areas of interest is a focus on examining these relationships within all black samples as well as among black and white respondents in cross-sectional data. The in-depth investigation of these concerns among black elderly will be accomplished through the use of two data sets which are representative of that group (the National Survey of Black Americans and the Three Generational Family Study). To complement this information, three additional data sets which contain sizeable numbers of black respondents will be utilized (the National Survey of the Aged, Myth and Reality of Aging, and the 1980 Panel Study of Income Dynamics). The use of these datasets, in conjunction with one another, will provide a convergent perspective on these cancers which has not been previously possible. This methodological feature allows for a fuller appreciation of the heterogeneity which exists among older blacks with reference to support behaviors and how support factors are affected by differences in major sociodemographic variables. The utilization of a representative sample imparts wider generalizability to the findings as well. Further, the in-depth study of support networks among older blacks and the demonstration of heterogeneity provides a more meaningful context for racial comparisons of black and white elderly.